Against All Odds
by musicforlife101
Summary: Post Judgment Day. My version of what should happen. Tiva Jibbs established McAbby. Rated T to be safe for later chapters.
1. The Split

**Oh my gosh. I am so sorry that I took forever to post this. I know I have been promising it. If you read my other fic you know that my computer totally died. I just got all my files and now I'm posting this. So I hope you enjoy.**

**Well I thought of this one day and couldn't decide if I wanted to write it down and when I did decide to it was all of a sudden the end of August. So I figured I'd better write it fast so it's up before season 6 starts.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. As much as I love these characters they belong to CBS and Donald Bellisario and all those wonderful people.**

**Note: This begins right after Judgment Day. Normally I'm not a huge fan of stuff that acknowledges that episode as part of the timeline but I do agree that the split up of the team makes for a great storyline. Well anyway, enjoy. The whole thing should be posted quickly as I will try to get it all written in a few days. Please review.**

_**Chapter 1: The Split**_

Tony Dinozzo walked to his desk on autopilot. He couldn't think straight. His mind was still reeling from the thought that he would be stuck on a big, grey, cold, boring, metal ship for the next 6 months. And then who knows. Maybe Vance would decide that Tony loved boats and stick him on another one, and that would be his life. Then there was McGee. The poor probie was just starting to be less of a probie and less geeky and start to be a really good field agent. Cyber crimes would ruin him. And Gibbs. Poor Gibbs. He would have to train a whole new team of completely incompetent probies. They would be even more proie than probie! Tony was quite sure that they would have to be replaced every few months as Gibbs started to kill off too many brain cells from his headslaps. Ziva. What could he even say? She would go back to Israel and Mossad and probably end up on more suicide missions than he wanted to think about. He knew she must have been on them before, but now was different. She was different. NCIS had forced her to see herself and her life in a completely new way. He wasn't exactly sure how Mossad and her father would take that.

Ziva walked down the stairs slowly, her head hung low, her chin almost resting on her chest. Gibbs would be driven insane by his new team. They would all be comatose, or concussed at least by the end of the first two weeks. And McGee was going to cyber crimes. He had it easiest, but that didn't mean it wasn't still terrible. He would be able to come see everyone, he was only on a different floor. But he was a great investigator with an instinct and an ability that would be wasted behind a desk. He had worked so hard and he deserved to be out in the field. And Tony would be stuck on a boat with little contact for six months. And knowing Vance he would probably just end up shuffled from ship to ship for the rest of his career. She did not think Tony would be too fond of living on the USS Ronald Reagan. And then she would have to return to Tel Aviv and Mossad. She would probably be dead in a year. For the first time in her life the thought of that scared her. There was still so much she wanted to do and to say and now was not the right time. Emotions were high and every word took on a melancholy tone.

Gibbs could not help but repeat to himself over and over "I will fix this. I will fix this." He was determined to get Tony off the ship before Vance moved him again in six months. He knew McGee would be the easiest to get out and the most help in getting the others but he still felt obligated to save him from desk work as soon as possible. Then he had to get Ziva out of Israel and back at NCIS before one of her missions for Mossad killed her. He knew that the liaison position was the only reason she was still alive. That and the fact that she was one of the best officers Mossad ever had, but even he wasn't sure she could go back to that life anymore. Oh, and there were his new probies. They would have to go. They were probably very untrained and very sloppy. He would not allow his team to be sloppy. And Tony. Tony would be stuck on a ship. That could prove tricky, but possible. They were like his family and he would not let Vance divide and destroy his family.

McGee and Abby sat in her lab thinking. They had run every possible outcome by each other. Only one of them looked good, and it was the least likely: Gibbs would somehow manage to get everyone back. They sat in silence taking in the gravity of their situation. Silent tears began to pour down Abby's face. McGee scooted next to her and put his arm around her shoulders turning her face into his shoulder and chest. He held her as her tears escalated in racking sobs. It wasn't supposed to be this way. McGee was still the probie to everyone, but he wasn't _that_ naïve. He knew that Tony would probably be stuck on ships until he resigned and that Gibbs would probably retire again and this would probably be the last time they ever saw Ziva. Abby began to realize the same things and as they sank in she cried harder and clutched at McGee's shirt as if he would suddenly disappear, too. He rocked her back and forth and tried to sooth her. He placed a light kiss where her pigtails and bangs parted, then he laid his head down on top of hers. They stayed like that for a while until Abby got her resolve back and decided to figure out how to keep them here. She quickly enlisted McGee's help.

**Note: The next chapter will begin three months later. I will try to cover all the locations so there will be D.C., USS Ronald Reagan, and Tel Aviv. I have plans and I think I will stop when I do finish that basic planned story line. But it should be good for a while. I have some chapters written but I'm not done yet. I'll keep writing and posting them. I'm gonna have to be quick though if I want it up before the new season starts. Sept 23! Yay! Anyway, please review and let me know what you think.**


	2. The Email

**Ok here's chapter 2. I actually decided to start writing this the same night (or morning I guess, its 2 am. I do that a lot.) as I did the first chapter. I just want to get this down because there is no way I can get it done with school and stuff.**

**Disclaimer: It's in the first chapter. I won't be putting a disclaimer in the rest of the chapters because it's in the first chapter.**

**Note: This is set three months after the split, so it is late August. Vance is still Satan. And everyone has gone to where he sent them. Please review and let me know what you think. And thanks for all the reviews so far.**

_**Chapter 2: The Email**_

Gibbs was tired. He was always tired now it seemed. He lived on coffee, Chinese food, and working on his boat. His new team was slow. They were sloppy. They were clueless. He felt more like a teacher at the academy than a team leader, especially the leader of the most respected Major Case Response Team.

McGee came to visit every now and then. He was bored and sure that his eyesight was getting worse by the minute. He spent all day staring at a computer screen. Gibbs had taken to calling him Tim, but Tim still called Gibbs Boss a lot. Abby missed the team immensely but she managed to amuse herself most of the time. She picked on and made fun of the new probies. They were mostly afraid of her so she always hugged them too tight and signed to Gibbs more than usual. She played her music as loudly as she could before Vance sent someone down from his office to tell her to turn it off. Whenever this happened she grabbed her iPod off the docking station and used her headphones instead.

This particular day was wonderful for Abby. One of Tim's cyber crimes crossed with one of Gibbs' cases so he got to work with them.

"I'm so so so so so so so glad you're working on this Timmy!" She squealed in excitement, "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"You saw me this morning when I woke you up and we drove to work." He replied with a smile. He and Abby had been living together for a few months now. Things had picked up again and their relationship was better than when it first started.

"Yeah, but that was at home. I haven't seen you down here in forever!" She smiled. He smiled back as Gibbs walked in with a Caf-Pow and the three probies in tow. They were wary of entering the goth's lair.

Abby started to explain the evidence of the case in a way that only Tim and Gibbs would understand. The probies stood there with blank expressions. This case would have been over their heads even if she had tried to make them understand. At first glance there was little the same about the four murders. One was stabbed, one shot point blank, one sniped, and the last was strangled with an extension cord. They were all violent. The victims were all Arabs. But other than that there was little to go on. They lived in different areas, shopped at different stores, worked in different places, they were completely different, that is until Abby found them all on a terrorist watch list. They were members of Hamas and were suspected of planning an attack on the US but no one knew where. Now they had an idea.

_Meanwhile, on the USS Ronald Reagan_

Tony sat at his desk in his broom cupboard of an office. He had files and books piled in corners. He had never read so much in his life. He had asked Abby to scan and print multiple copies of his favorite photos before he left. He had taped these all around his office in an attempt to block out the cold, unnatural grey of the ship. He had just finished his only active case, a small drug ring in the barracks, and had decided to check his email.

There was the usual email from Abby telling him how stupid the probies were, except for Agent Lee who was the best agent on Gibbs' team. Tony found this to be more a commentary on how terrible the others were rather than how good she was. She wasn't a bad agent; it's just that she wasn't amazing. She was better suited to the Legal department; it was where she was happy anyways.

Tony sighed. He wished he was back in D.C. or better yet, L.A three months ago. Maybe this time he could save Jenny. He was jerked from his wistful daydreaming when he noticed an email address he didn't recognize. He clicked on it and read the email four times with increasing shock.

_Anthony Dinozzo._

_Ziva David is not readjusting to Mossad in a timely and satisfactory manner. She has become a liability to her fellow officers and the agency itself. She must be removed. You have two weeks to remove her to America._

_If she is not in America by the end of your two weeks a Mossad officer will terminate her. This is a one time offer. Remove her or she will be killed._

_Do not relay the contents or intentions of this transmission to anyone or she will be terminated immediately. Permanently delete this message after reading._

That was all. No signature and the email was not one he recognized. He knew he couldn't tell anyone about this. So he emailed Abby and asked her to trace the email. If she asked he would tell her the truth: the truth was that he could not tell her. He knew that a plane would be landing from the states to take the drug dealer back to Washington D.C. in two days and it would leave the day after that. Abby would have information tomorrow and he could probably hitch a ride stateside since he had gotten to know the pilot quite well during their last encounter.

Tomorrow was Sunday and it came quickly. Abby had supplied him with the much needed information. It was an account that was only active for a day, presumably to send the email and deactivate the account. The name provided was obviously an alias, John Doe, but the IP address was located at a small café in Tel Aviv. She had given him the address and he had bought himself a one way ticket.

The next day the plane landed and Tony greeted Steve Crawley, the pilot. They walked in a comfortable silence to the rec room and into the back corner.

"I got a favor to ask of you, Steve." Tony began.

"Sure, man. What's up?" Steve replied. Tony smiled to himself. The man was young, but he had a good heart and would give you the shirt off his back.

"I need to get stateside. I know that you _can't_ take me with you. But this is a matter of life and death. I really can't tell you any more than that. If I don't get back to D.C. someone is going to die. I'm begging here, Steve, and you know I don't beg. Sneak me on your plane?" Tony asked the young man. His voice barely above a whisper, but the desperation still evident. It had lost all its former spark of humor and zeal. They were replaced with fear, nothing but desperation and cold-blooded fear.

"As long as you don't mind going UA. You'll need to be up an hour early, have everything packed and in the plane late tonight. Meet me on the flight deck and I'll hide you in the plane before I do my inspection. Your dealer will get in, we leave and you can stop hiding. Sound ok to you?" The young pilot offered. He really was a good guy and whatever this was, it was obviously very important to his friend and who was he to question a life or death situation.

Tony nodded and clapped the man on the shoulder thanking him profusely.

Tony's luggage had been loaded onto the plane under the cover of darkness and by 0400 he was hiding inside. They had taken off and were gone by 0530. They landed in Washington, D.C. late that night and Tony realized he had nowhere to stay. His stuff was either in storage, sold, or in his suitcases.

He pulled out the cell phone that hadn't had service in two months and smiled as he saw four beautiful bars of signal in the upper corner of the screen. He browsed his contact list, thinking of all the people he missed, until he reached McGee's number; he pressed the call button and prayed.

"Hello?"

"Hey McGoogle! Bet you haven't heard that one in a while!"

"TONY?! Abby get over here, Tony's on the phone!"

"Wait, Abby's there? Where are you Tim?"

"My apartment."

"Hmmm, interesting. Anyway. Would you mind if I crashed on your couch tonight? I can't really tell you why, but I just need a place to stay for tonight."

"Yeah sure, Tony. Where are you, do you need us to come get you?"

"That'd be great. I'm at the Navy yard."

"We'll be there in 10 minutes." Sure enough Tim and Abby pulled up to the curb 10 minutes later and helped Tony with his luggage. They didn't ask questions, no matter how much they wanted to. When they got back to Tim's apartment it became clear to Tony that Abby lived there, too. The thought made him laugh a little.

"Tony, can I ask you one question? I promise no more after that." Tim asked with sincerity.

"Yeah, ask away. I can't guarantee I can answer, but I'll try."

"Did you go UA? Or did Gibbs get you out?"

"Yeah, I went UA Tim." Tony looked a little downcast as he remembered the frantic pleading and even more frantic hiding that had gotten him this far. Then he looked downright depressed as he thought of why he had to leave in such a way to begin with.

Abby noticed and jumped up to hug him. She squeezed and rocked back and forth.

"We missed you soooooooo much Tony. It's not the same without you." Tony nodded and thanked them again before lying down on the couch to sleep. He awoke early the next morning and gathered up his necessary luggage and left a note for Tim and Abby, then he walked out to the street to catch a cab to the airport.

Tim and Abby woke up around 0630 to find their friend gone. Some of his luggage was still there though and it didn't seem like he had left that long before. Abby spotted a note sitting on the counter. She picked it up and read it a few times before showing it to Tim. They stared up at each other with looks of knowing disbelief.

_Dear Abby and Tim,_

_I should be honest with you. You must never disclose this information and this note must be burned. On Saturday I received an email from an anonymous sender. He instructed me to get Ziva out of Israel and back to America within two weeks or Mossad was going to terminate her._

_I was able to stowaway in a plane leaving the ship and make it here. I am now boarding flight 673 for Tel Aviv. Thanks to Abby I have an address and I can begin my search. I have a little over a week to find her and get her out. I promise to return with her safely. Try not to worry. And don't tell Gibbs. If my two week mark passes and you still have not heard from me, then tell Gibbs. I will be listed as Tommy DiNardo for all purposes while I am here. Do not attempt to contact me unless my time is up._

_Now please, burn this note._

_Thanks,_

_Tony_

"Oh my god. Ziva." Abby breathed, her voice almost inaudible. Tim pulled her close and soothed her.

"Tony'll find her Abs. And you know," he said, cupping her facing and pulling it away enough to kiss her forehead, then gently laying it back on his chest, "together they could outrun, outsmart, and out-survive a thousand assassins." He felt her smile and nod. It helped enough to get them dressed and on their way to work.

**Note: I know this is long compared to my last chapter, but I think I tend to write chapters this long for other stuff, too. **

**Ok, here is my timeline in terms of days. Tony gets the email on Saturday, Abby gives him information on Sunday, his friend lands on Monday, he leaves the ship on Tuesday, he spends Tuesday night with Abby and McGee, and is gone on Wednesday morning.**

**For those of you reading my other story, no I am not neglecting it for this one. I already have a few chapters written for this story so I just decided to post it for now. I'll keep writing, but I don't know how productive I'll be tomorrow. Bones is coming back with a two hour premiere! Then House in two weeks and then finally NCIS! **


	3. The Tel Aviv Cafe

**Thank for the reviews guys. I'm going to start posting this a little quicker so I can finish it up before the season starts. **

**Note: Ok so this picks up Thursday morning in Tel Aviv. I actually went to look up flights from D.C. to Tel Aviv to see how long it would really take. So this would be mid-morning on Thursday.**

_**Chapter 3: The Tel Aviv Café**_

Tony's plane landed. It had been the longest flight he had ever taken, but he didn't care. He had slept through a lot of it and tried to stop thinking about what could go wrong for the rest of it. He talked to a nice old lady on the first leg of the flight which landed in London. He slept most of the second leg. But now he was here in Tel Aviv. He was that much closer to Ziva.

As he got off the plane and went to collect his luggage he repeated in his mind the little mantra he had created on his flight. _I will find her. I have to find her._ _'I never even told her I loved her! How stupid am I?! I should have known that this could happen at any time. But I'll find her. And this time I'll tell her' _he thought as he pushed through the crowd and picked up his duffel bag.

Tony walked out of the airport and caught a cab. He showed the address of his hotel to the driver who nodded and took off toward the tall building. Upon arriving he told Tony how much the fare was in American.

"Toda," Tony said as he got out of the taxi. He loved using the Hebrew phrases Ziva had taught him.

"Al-Lo-Davar," the driver replied.

"I'm sorry, would you mind waiting a few minutes. I'll be right back." The driver nodded. Tony rushed in, checked in and gave his bag to man who would take it to the room. He rushed outside and back to the cab. He handed the driver the address to the café and they took off. They arrived and he paid the fare. Tony walked in and ordered his coffee and began filling it with cream and sugar.

"Excuse me," Tony asked the barista, "Have you seen this woman around here in the past couple of months?" He nodded. He seemed a little wary of talking to him. "She may be in grave danger. Do you know where she lives?" He shook his head fervently. The barista leaned over the counter and motioned for Tony to lean in so he could whisper to him.

"She comes in every day, same time. Wait forty minutes, she will be here." The barista instructed in a low whisper. Ziva probably scared the poor man to death. So he waited, he sat on a worn out sofa that made for a poor target from the street but still allowed him a peripheral view of the door. Forty minutes later, as if on cue, Ziva entered the café.

Ziva got out of her car, locked it and walked into her favorite café. They had the best scones she could find. They reminded her of the ones she would sometimes buy for breakfast at the little café on her way to work. She had gotten back only a week ago from her second mission since the split. They were suicide missions and she knew it, her father knew it, everyone knew Mossad was trying to get rid of her, but she was just too good at surviving. And she didn't want to believe that the agency which had welcomed her back so quickly would try to get rid of her again.

She walked in and took in her surroundings. There was only one person she hadn't seen there in the past week. Everyone else was a regular. The man did not look Israeli, he had sandy brown hair and was reading a book. She smiled when she saw the title. He was reading The Bourne Ultimatum. Tony loved that movie. She smiled. _'He looks very much like Tony. No. That is crazy. He can not possibly be Tony. I am only imagining things because the book reminded me of him.'_ Ziva thought as she tried to rationalize his likeness to her former partner.

She got her coffee and her scone and sat down at a small table against the wall. She made sure she was not much of a target from the street. Apparently the man did the same. He was not a good target from the street but was able to see the door in his peripherals. It was something she might have done if she was waiting for someone. She glanced over at him while taking a sip of her coffee at the exact same moment he glanced up from his book to look at her. Their eyes met, he wore a small smile and nodded to the seat next to him.

She got up from her seat. _'Oh my God. This is impossible. He really is here! But why is he here? I hope everything is alright.'_ Her thoughts became more and more concerned as she got closer and then she sat down next to him, setting her coffee and scone on the table where he had just set his book. She smiled up at him but he was not smiling back.

"Tony…" she began. He put a finger over her lips to silence her.

"Not here. We need to go somewhere safe to talk." Tony said in a half whisper. She nodded grabbing her coffee and scone and leading him out the door to her car. She performed her usual check for an obvious tracking device or car bomb before unlocking the doors and motioning for him to get in.

Tony was happy he had found her so quickly and he was unbelievably glad to see her in good health. The comfortable silence that filled the car calmed Tony's anxious nerves. She drove for a long time, they were in a normal residential neighborhood when they stopped in front of a simple blue house. They got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Ziva pulled out a lock pick set and had the door open in seconds.

"Breaking and entering?" Tony asked with raised eyebrows. Ziva shook her head smiling slightly.

"Safe house. With Mossad skills they really do not need keys."

"We can't talk here. We need to get to a place where Mossad is least likely to be able to listen in." Ziva was a little taken aback but complied. She drove on for another thirty minutes or so until they came to an old industrial building. It was small, in a not well known or traveled neighborhood. When they entered it was obvious that this was Ziva's own safe house. Everything was arranged tactically and he was sure there were weapons hid in every room.

"Mossad does not know about this place. What do you need to tell me, and why are you being so secretive, Tony?"

"I don't know where to where to begin." He said sitting on the couch with her.

"Begin at the beginning." She said softly, trying to encourage her best friend, former partner, and the man she loved to tell her what had made him so paranoid.

"Well on Saturday I sat down to check my email and there was an anonymous message telling me that I had exactly two weeks to get you out of Israel and back to the states. I convinced a friend of mine to help get me off the Reagan. So right now, I'm technically UA. They said if I took more than two weeks or told anyone about this they would kill you. They said you weren't the same officer you were before NCIS. They couldn't risk you being a liability. And I couldn't risk them killing you by waiting for authorization." He got it all out as quickly, quietly, and honestly as he could. He looked downcast. He was afraid for her.

She could see how it pained him. He was obviously scared, but he would never tell her that. She could see something other than the fear in his eyes. It looked like, concern maybe? Why else would he fly halfway around the world and risk his life just to keep her safe.

"Who sent it?"

"It was sent from an account that was activated and deactivated on the same day in the café I found you in. It was registered to John Doe. Abby couldn't give me anything more than that. I crashed at her and Tim's apartment Tuesday night. We have to get out of here and back to D.C. Gibbs'll know what to do. I checked into a nice hotel. Figured they would expect a crappy motel. Don't worry; I'm Tommy DiNardo as far as they are concerned." Ziva nodded. They got up and gathered a few of Ziva's things and drove to the hotel. Tony didn't exactly know the name of it, but he was able to describe the building well enough for her to guess what hotel it was.

He added 'Lisa DiNardo' to his room registration and led her to the elevator. They made their way down the third floor hallway to room 315. It was a very nice room. Tony made his way to the nightstand to check the time. Abby and Tim would be at work. He dialed in for the international call.

"Abby Sciuto, Forensic Scientist Extraordinaire, how may I help you, 'International Caller'?" Abby answered from the other end, addressing Tony by the caller ID.

"Get Tim and Gibbs. No one else. I'll hold." Tony replied. A few moments later Abby came back on the phone.

"You're on speaker, Tony. Timmy and Gibbs are here."

"What's going on, Dinozzo?" Gibbs barked into the phone.

"Well that's sort of a long story Boss. I'll tell you all when we get there. Oh hold on I'm gonna put you guys on speaker." He did so before addressing them all again. "Ok guys, there is someone here who wants to say 'Hi.'" He motioned Ziva over. She sat down next to him on the bed leaning over him to be closer to the phone. She felt like if she could get closer to the phone then she would be somehow closer to them.

"Hey guys! I have missed you!" Ziva said happily into the phone. She looked up at Tony who had his ears covered. She was confused by this until she finished speaking and Abby's piercing squeal resounded through their hotel room. Ziva smiled.

"Zivaaaaaa!!"

"Good to hear your voice Ziva!"

"Nice to finally hear from you David."

"Ok, guys we need a little help. We need to get out of the country and back to D.C. as quietly as possible. We have eight days to be out of here. Do what you can." Tony gave them the name of the hotel, with Ziva's help, and the room number. They promised to get them out. They said 'goodbye' and 'see you soon' and hung up.

Almost as soon as they hung up Ziva had zoned out. She stared at the base board across from the bed. Tony looked down at her, worried. He thought he saw a tear threatening to betray her cool exterior. He touched her shoulder gently and she didn't hurt him so he continued.

"Ziva?" He asked softly. She turned to face him and he saw the tears. It seemed that one blink and she would lose it. He pulled her close to his chest, slightly surprised when she complied and even responded. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, trying to regain her composure. Tony stroked her hair and held her, waiting for her to tell him what was wrong. She would have to tell him everything if they were going to get out of this together. Slowly her tears subsided and she loosened her hold on him. She looked up into his face. Her face was tear-streaked, tired, and scared and Tony still thought she was the most beautiful thing ever. She finally found her voice to tell him what was wrong.

"My father wants me dead."

**Note: Maybe Ziva crying in the hotel room is a little out of character but I think that anyone who figures out that their father not only wants them dead, but hired the people they work with to kill them and then told the person they love that they have two weeks to live unless they are saved would probably be crying. Maybe out of despair, anger, desperation, fear, something. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think.**


	4. The Plan

**Thanks for the reviews guys! They make me happy during my days of mountainous homework. I felt you guys deserved this chapter up now so I'm posting it! Enjoy. Please review.**

**Note: This chapter begins with the phone call in the last chapter in Washington, D.C. The next chapter will pick back up with Tony and Ziva in Tel Aviv. There will be some travel in this chapter; I decided to make it flying because the drive wouldn't fit with my timeline. So I'm sorta guessing on the time. I don't think I'm too far off, but if I'm a little off bear with me.**

_**Chapter 4: The Plan**_

_Ringggg! Ringggg!_

Abby looked at the caller ID. _'International Caller.'_

"Abby Sciuto, Forensic Scientist Extraordinaire, how may I help you, 'International Caller'?" Abby answered quickly. Then she heard Tony's voice on the other end. She was so happy he was alright but the tone of his voice told her to just do as he asked.

"Get Tim and Gibbs. No one else. I'll hold." Abby pressed the hold button and called Tim in cyber crimes.

"Hi Abs."

"You need to get down here. Tommy DiNardo is on the phone for us." He hung up without saying goodbye. He ran to the stairwell causing the other cyber crimes agents to look at him funny before carrying on with their work. He took the stairs two at a time down to Abby's lab. She then dialed the number for Gibbs.

"You don't have any new evidence Abs. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, kinda. Tommy DiNardo is on the phone, he wants to talk." Gibbs hung up and walked to the elevator. The very confused probies started to get up.

"No. You guys stay. This is not a case. Sit down and do paperwork." Agent Lee was the first to sit. She was the senior field agent now and set an example that following Gibbs' directions was the best thing you could do. Gibbs took the elevator down to find Tim already there.

"You're on speaker, Tony. Timmy and Gibbs are here." Abby said as Gibbs walked up to the phone.

"What's going on, Dinozzo?" Gibbs barked into the phone. He was concerned. No one had told him anything.

"Well that's sort of a long story Boss. I'll tell you all when we get there. Oh hold on I'm gonna put you guys on speaker." They waited for a moment while he put the phone on speaker. "Ok guys, there is someone here who wants to say 'Hi.'" There was a pause then a familiar and long missed voice filled the room.

"Hey guys! I have missed you!" He had found Ziva. Everything was going to be alright.

"Zivaaaaaa!!" Abby squealed loudly with excitement and relief. She was so happy she was jumping up and down.

"Good to hear your voice Ziva!" Tim was just relieved to know they were both alright. He had been blaming himself for letting Tony leave alone so early in the morning.

"Nice to finally hear from you David." Gibbs still didn't know why Tony was with Ziva or where they were but it was still good to know her suicide missions hadn't gotten the best of her yet.

"Ok, guys we need a little help. We need to get out of the country and back to D.C. as quietly as possible. We have eight days to be out of here. Do what you can." Ziva helped Tony give Abby the name of the hotel and the room number so she could contact them. Gibbs promised to get them out of Israel. They said 'goodbye' and 'see you soon' and hung up.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! Where are they? Why are they together? What happened?" Gibbs was yelling. He didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"Well Gibbs, Tony got an email on Saturday, almost a week ago. He was on the Reagan and asked me to run the email for him. It traced back to a café in Tel Aviv. The email said that he had two weeks to get Ziva out of Israel and back here or Mossad would kill her. He stowed away on a plane. He called Timmy in the middle of the night and asked for us to come pick him up here so he could crash on the couch. He was gone on a flight to Tel Aviv the next morning. He left a note." Abby recited the information animatedly as if talking about a case. That's when it hit Tim.

"Boss, what if this has something to do with our case?"

"And how would it connect Tim?"

"Hamas and Mossad hate each other. Maybe we should get them here and ask Ziva then." Tim added seeing Gibbs' face.

"Good idea Tim. Abby see what you can do about getting them here. Check if there are any Navy planes leaving Tel Aviv that we can pull rank to get them on. And while you're at it look for any connections between our dead terrorists and Ziva. Tim you and I are taking a trip this weekend. You're calling in sick tomorrow. Be at Ronald Reagan Airport at 0500. I'll take care of the plans."

"Yes, Boss." He turned to Abby, "I've gotta go back to cyber crimes before Vance chews me out again." He kissed her on the cheek and left. Abby looked up at Gibbs for approval. She knew it was against the rules but she had a feeling that he had a new perspective since Jen had died.

"Don't worry Abs. Tim's a good guy. And the rules don't apply here. They shouldn't have applied to me and Jen. She was the reason for Rule #12 anyways. I know that's what you were thinking. You have my blessing Abs." He bent down and kissed her head. "But if you don't work on getting Tony and Ziva back here I may just have to take it back." He smiled; she smiled and got back to work. Gibbs went back upstairs to buy plane tickets.

Less than twenty minutes later Abby got an email from _'The DiNardos.'_ The subject line was 'our visit.' She opened it to find a coded message:

_Amy,_

_Tommy and I are so excited to visit you and McGregor. Tell Tibbs that we can not wait to see him, too. We are just waiting for our replacement passports to be delivered. They were stolen and the embassy is replacing them so we can return home. They should be delivered Sunday night._

_Our return tickets will be harder to get than our passports. We are hoping the hotel concierge will be able to help us with that. We still trying to pay with our vacation cash fund, but it may be running out soon. We may have to start using our credit card._

_Love always,_

_Lisa and Tommy DiNardo_

Abby called Tim on the pretense that information had come up on their case. He came down asking what she had found out about Tony and Ziva.

"Ziva must still have a reliable contact. Someone is making passports for Tommy and Lisa DiNardo. And they are having a hard time getting plane tickets. They don't have enough cash to pay for them and can't pay on credit. I think we need to send them some money." Tim nodded. They needed to send them cash or plane tickets.

"We could buy Tommy and Lisa DiNardo tickets for Monday afternoon and Gibbs and I should be done with whatever it is we're doing." Abby nodded vigorously.

_Upstairs in the Bullpen_

Gibbs was having a terrible time trying to find plane tickets on the computer. He left the room saying the he needed coffee. Instead he went down to Abby's lab just as Tim was leaving. They nodded at each other in greeting.

"Abs. I need you to do something on the computer for me. Book me and Tim tickets to Manchester, New Hampshire and a rental car at the airport. We need to leave tomorrow morning around 0600."

"Ok Gibbs. Timmy and I are going to buy tickets for Tommy and Lisa to come back on Monday afternoon. They can't pay for the tickets."

"Ok Abs. But book mine first; I need to get my coffee and then back to my probies." Abby mock saluted Gibbs and began rapidly typing. In less than five minutes the e-tickets were in his hand. "That's good work Abby. Tell Tim that our flight leaves at 0630." He kissed her forehead and left to get his coffee.

Abby then bought Tony and Ziva's tickets under the names Tommy and Lisa DiNardo. She used Tim's credit card and had the tickets sent to the hotel in Tel Aviv.

_The next morning 0500, Ronald Reagan National Airport_

"Hey Boss." Tim said as he walked up to Gibbs that morning. They both waved goodbye to Abby and walked in to check their luggage. "So, uh, where exactly are we going? And why?"

"We are going, Tim, to Vermont. We need to find a place for Tommy and Lisa DiNardo to live until we can make sure everything is safe for them here and get their jobs back. Vermont is secluded, there is no interstate, no Starbucks, not many people, and no one asks questions. It's a good place to hide people."

"Oh." Tim shut up and sat down at the gate with Gibbs. Security had taken a while and the plane was boarding in five minutes. The flight was short: 1 ½ hours. When they landed they grabbed their bags and walked to the rental car company. Gibbs got the keys to the sedan Abby had reserved them. Then they drove. They finally reached the first town Gibbs had picked. He had looked at three towns that would work.

Gibbs got out of the car in front of a duplex. The front unit was for rent. It was small and there was a leak in the roof. Gibbs didn't like it and Tim thought they should go on to the next one. The next house was a rental owned by a man in upstate New York. It was nice but expensive and it was a one year lease minimum. There were no more rentals in the first town so they got in the car and drove to the second.

The second town was quaint but the first rental was terrible. It had been badly damaged by the winter freeze and the lawn was a mess. They drove on to the next rental. This was another duplex with the front unit for rent.

"Boss this one is actually nice. It's perfect for Tommy and Lisa."

"Ok Tim. Talk money to the landlord." And with that he walked off around the house. He looked at every corner. He saw something move to his left, the second unit. He looked up to see a redheaded woman walking around in her garden. She didn't look up at him; in fact if he didn't know better he would say she was avoiding any possible eye contact. He sighed sadly to himself. _'She reminds me of Jen. But Jen is gone, gone to save me. She really does look like Jen though. Maybe I'm just going crazy.'_ Gibbs argued with his own mind before deciding to ask her an innocent question just so he could see her face and prove it wasn't Jen. He walked across the lawn joining the back of Tony and Ziva's unit and the redheaded woman's unit.

"Excuse me." Gibbs asked as he got closer. "Can you tell me what this neighborhood is like normally?" She didn't seem to hear him though by now he was right behind her. "Excuse me, miss?" She finally spoke. The voice he heard wasn't what he had been expecting.

"It's a very quiet neighborhood, Jethro." She turned to look at him, a trowel in her gloved hands and a smudge of dirt on her smiling face. She couldn't help it. She thought she would never see him again but he was standing in her yard asking her about the neighborhood. "Why do you want to know?"

"Tony and Ziva need a place to disappear for a while. Tim is paying for the first month's rent until we get the mess Vance caused sorted out."

"What did Vance do?" She said. _'Why isn't he angrier?'_ she thought.

"He made Tony the agent afloat the USS Ronald Reagan, he sent Tim down to Cyber crimes, and he sent Ziva back to Israel. Then someone at Mossad put a hit out on Ziva and told Tony to bring her here, so now they need to be Tommy and Lisa for a little while. How exactly is it that you're standing here Jen, or have I finally gone insane?"

'_Yup. I knew it was coming eventually. He told me the truth, he deserves the truth from me.'_ She decided before speaking again.

"They asked me to fake my death. No one knows except Franks, Ducky, Fornell, and the US Marshalls. Don't be angry with them Jethro. Especially not Ducky. He told them to tell you but they wouldn't let him. Franks said that it was a stupid idea but at least it was for a noble reason like love. Fornell was just doing his job, and the Marshalls are the only reason I _am_ alive." Her voice had gone up about half an octave and had gotten so loud it attracted Tim's attention.

"Let's go inside Jen. I want to talk. Catch up a bit. We aren't flying back until Sunday." Jen nodded and motioned for them to follow her inside. She pulled off her gloves and set them on the porch with her trowel. They walked into her unit; it was almost the same as the one they had just rented for Tony and Ziva. It was very nice, decorated similarly to Jen's house in D.C. A voice from the second floor jolted them out of their daze.

"Mom?! Is that you?!"

**Note: Yeah I know this story line has been used before, but I'm putting a different twist on it so be patient. You'll see what I'm doing. The next chapter, however, will be back to Tony and Ziva for a little while.**


	5. The Hotel

Note: This chapter begins after the phone call late Thursday evening in Tel Aviv

**Note: This chapter begins after the phone call late Thursday evening in Tel Aviv. That would make it Thursday around midday in D.C.**

_**Chapter 5: The Hotel**_

"_Ziva?" He asked softly. She turned to face him and he saw the tears. It seemed that one blink and she would lose it. He pulled her close to his chest, slightly surprised when she complied and even responded. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, trying to regain her composure. Tony stroked her hair and held her, waiting for her to tell him what was wrong. She would have to tell him everything if they were going to get out of this together. Slowly her tears subsided and she loosened her hold on him. She looked up into his face. Her face was tear-streaked, tired, and scared and Tony still thought she was the most beautiful thing ever. She finally found her voice to tell him what was wrong._

"_My father wants me dead."_

He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms tighter around her torso. She was still clinging tightly to him. He stroked her hair, his chin resting on the top of her head. He stopped thinking for a moment and let his heart override his head. He tilted his head down and kissed her right where her hair parted. Her tears subsided again as she pressed herself into his chest. She then began to let go and wipe the tears off her face. She leaned back trying to straighten her hair. Tony got up and walked to the bathroom, he came back with a warm washcloth to wipe her face. Once she had cleaned her face she looked up at him. There was so much concern etched into his features and something else in his eyes. Was it… love? Whatever it was, it made her smile. Then her eyes traveled down to the wet spot on his white T-shirt, right over his heart.

"I'm sorry, Tony." She said, her voice betraying her composure. He shook his head.

"Don't apologize..."

"…it's a sign of weakness." They finished together.

"And besides, you have nothing to be sorry for." He noticed her gaze on the spot on his shirt. He chuckled. "Don't worry about the shirt," he said as he walked over to his suitcase, pulling off the shirt as he went. He was well muscled. He was sweet. He was… perfect. _'Get a hold of yourself! There is a time and place to tell him everything. When you are trying to get back to the US to stay alive is not exactly the best time for this conversation.' _She reasoned with herself. Tony had thrown on an old Ohio State T-shirt and flopped down next to her on the bed. "So what now, Sweetcheeks?" he said, adding the pet name in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Well, my little hairy butt, I will call my last faithful contact and get new identification for both of us." His attempt had obviously worked because she replied with a smile and her pet name for him. She picked up the phone and dialed her contact. She began speaking to him in rapid Hebrew.

"Alon, I need passports. American citizens. A married couple. Names are Thomas Paul DiNardo and Lisa Caitlin DiNardo. Use my current passport photo and the current passport photo of Anthony Dinozzo. He works for NCIS, the photo is in the files I was working on before I left for NCIS three years ago. If you can't get it go over to my house, there is a picture in the drawer of my bedside table." She continued to give him their information.

"I will have it at your café inside a book I will leave on the coffee table as you walk in. It will be there Sunday night at 1900 hours. Don't be late." With that he hung up, and she relayed her conversation to Tony who was looking at her confused.

"We need to send a message to Abby. There are computers on the ground floor, in the media room." Tony nodded and insisted upon going with her. He stuffed his gun into he waistband of his jeans and covered it with his shirt. At this he placed his hand protectively at the small of her back as they walked out the door and down the hall. Once in the media room they set themselves up at a computer. Tony stood behind her, leaning down to read the email she wrote to Abby. It was an innocently crafted code that only the team would understand.

"Come on Ziva. There's nothing more we can do tonight. You sent the email. Let's go back upstairs and go to bed. The jetlag is catching up to me. Please, Ziva." She reluctantly nodded. She was physically and emotionally drained. She stood up from the computer but failed to move when Tony started walking back to the elevator. He took a few steps before realizing she was still standing there. He backed up and reached for her hand. When he grasped her hand she looked up as if startled from her daze. He saw the fear in her eyes again. He squeezed her hand lightly to let her know he was there. She smiled a little and let him lead her away.

They reached their room and Tony unlocked the door. Ziva stepped inside and crossed to her small overnight bag pulling out an oversized NCIS t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She walked over to the bathroom. Five minutes later she returned with her hair combed, teeth brushed, face washed and dropped her clothes on top of her bag. Tony had tugged off his jeans and t-shirt and tossed them onto his duffel bag. He grabbed an old t-shirt out of his bag and pulled it over his head.

Ziva came out of the bathroom and Tony went in. He brushed his teeth and came back out. Ziva was sitting on the bed, back flat against the headboard, eyes staring blankly to the other side of the room. This whole business seemed to bother her more than he had expected it to. He walked over to the bed and sat next to her. He placed his hand at the back of her head letting it slide down her back, then rub up and down reassuringly.

"What's wrong Ziva? The whole story. No 'I'm fine;' no 'There's a hit out on me;' no 'We're on the run.' I want the full reason." Ziva ended her staring contest with the wall. She looked up at Tony. For the first time in the three years he'd known her and the countless situations that threatened their lives he had never seen terror in her eyes. He had seen fear once or twice but never terror. Now he saw it. She was sure she would have died and that terrified her.

"I saw my father on Tuesday. I stood there in his office. He told me he was happy my mission was a success and that I had made it back in one bit." Tony smiled to himself.

"Piece Ziva. Made it back in one piece. Sorry, continue."

"He hugged me and said he was happy to have me back. I could just as easily have been killed there. He lied to my face and I did not see it. He wants me dead, or gone at least and I could not see it when he looked into my face in a room empty except for one armed escort. It scares me Tony."

"I know it does Ziva. You have to be really scared to ever admit you're scared. And I'm scared too. But you have to remember, I'm here for you. I may not have super ninja skills like you, but I'll protect you, at any cost. No argument or discussion, that's just the way it is." He pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back to comfort her. He knew she was still scared but he would take every single bullet for her. Tony made Ziva lay down under the covers, then he did the same. She rolled onto her side facing away from him scooting back so she was pressed against his chest. He laid his arm across her protectively pulling her closer. She breathed easily and relaxed for the first time since early that evening. Her hand slid under her pillow to where her gun was. She felt safe. She had Tony and her gun.

Tony awoke the next morning to the smell of Ziva's shampoo. Her head was lying next to his face and she was in his arms. _'I could get used to this.'_ He couldn't help thinking. _'No. That can wait until our lives are no longer in danger.'_ He argued with his own mind. He slowly shook Ziva awake. He didn't want to get up to take a shower and have her wake up with him gone and freak out.

"Ziva, sweetcheeks. Wake up." He crooned. He pushed her hair from her face and leaned in close to her ear and repeated. She smiled and blinked her eyes open trying to get used to the light.

"Good morning my little hairy butt." Tony smiled back and went to take a shower. He came out in jeans and a short sleeved button up. He sat down at the desk and began flipping through the room service menu while Ziva went to shower. She came out of the bathroom in jeans and a tight fitting t-shirt. Tony was staring slightly until she slapped him playfully on the shoulder, directing his attention to the menu. They ordered and ate at the small table in the corner once their food arrived.

"So what do we do now?" Tony asked.

"Now we wait Tony. We can watch movies, read books, talk. It is best if we make as little contact with people as possible." Ziva replied.

"Can we watch a good movie today? Pleeeeeease? I read the Harry Potter series in the first month and since then I've been reading and rereading the Bourne series and Tim's book." She nodded with a grin. He ran to the bed and jumped, falling flat on his stomach in a belly flop stretch for the remote. He ordered a good action movie and asked Ziva to join him. After the movie Ziva looked up at him. Now was as good a time as any to talk. She took the remote and placed it on the floor.

"Tony. We need to talk. There is something we need to discuss before this goes any further." Tony nodded in agreement but Ziva interpreted it to mean that he was listening. "I feel foolish saying this, but it is true. Tony, Mossad is right. NCIS changed me, but they are also wrong, NCIS changed me for the better. I can not punish a man if I am not sure he committed a crime. I have learned to express things I feel. This is a big step though. Tony, you taught me about love. You taught me and you taught yourself. I just want to say I love you Tony. I do not know why or how or when, it just happened, it was a long time ago." Tony was grinning like an idiot. _'She loves me?! Pinch me I'm dreaming! No! I have to stop being stupid and tell her now while the moment is still here.'_ He thought happily.

"Well Ziva. I should thank _you_. You are the one who taught me how to be in love with a person. When I was with Jeanne I was in love with the idea of being in love. But every single day, walking into work I am in love with you." He cupped her cheek with one hand. He leaned down toward her and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. They lingered for a moment. It was like no other kiss they had ever shared with anyone. It was not out of desire but out of love, it was caring, they treasured each other in every capacity and that changed everything. "So sweetcheeks. Shall we dine in the hotel's restaurant this evening?" She nodded amazed it was already time to eat. They walked down to the restaurant and shared a meal they both loved that didn't consist of pizza.

They made their way back up to the room after dessert and turned on CNN.

"In other news, an unnamed NCIS agent was reported UA on Tuesday. NCIS stands for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Their special agent was the agent afloat the USS Ronald Reagan. He was not on board the ship when the crew awoke Tuesday morning. The director of NCIS believes the young man to be on an international quest of some sort, where he is headed and what he is looking for we still do not know. He is possibly armed and dangerous." The newscaster had no idea how much trouble he may have just caused.

"Uh, Ziva? How about you teach me some of those ninja moves tomorrow?"

**Note: Uh, I don't know if a supposedly dangerous special agent that could be anywhere in the world for no specific reason is a news story worthy of CNN, but I needed to have Tony's absence outed in some way. And I spent almost a week watching CNN on a cruise ship because all the other channels were in Spanish or were in a different time zone. I heard some really weird things on CNN.**

**Ok so the end of this chapter is the end of Friday in Tel Aviv.**

**The next chapter goes back to Gibbs, Tim, and Jen in Vermont. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Review pretty please.**


	6. The Secret

Note: Ok so this is back on the east coast

**Note: Ok so this is back on the east coast. Gibbs, Tim, and Jen in Vermont and Abby back in D.C. It is still Friday, though now it is early evening.**

_**Chapter 6: The Secret**_

_They walked into her unit; it was almost the same as the one they had just rented for Tony and Ziva. It was very nice, decorated similarly to Jen's house in D.C. A voice from the second floor jolted them out of their daze._

"_Mom?! Is that you?!"_

"Yeah honey. Why don't you come downstairs, there are some friends of mine here I want you to meet." She called up to the second floor. Moments later a little girl no more than nine or ten years old came bounding down the stairs. She had beautiful red hair like her mother and was full of life. She smiled a huge smile when she saw Gibbs and Tim standing in the entryway. They never had visitors.

"Hi! My name's Sarah! What's your name?" She looked up at Gibbs expectantly.

"My name is Jethro. I like your name Sarah; it's very pretty." She grinned and asked Tim the same question.

"I'm Tim." He replied smiling. She was close to them now and he could see her sparkling blue eyes. He knew exactly who the father was even if he didn't know it himself. Sarah asked if she could give them a tour. Her mother nodded and she grabbed Gibbs by the hand leading him around with Tim and her mother following. Jen spotted the knowing look on Tim's face and looked at him pleading and threatening in the same glance. He gave the slightest of nods. It was their understanding that he wouldn't tell Gibbs; he would let her do it.

"…and this is the kitchen!" Sarah said as she concluded the tour. "Timmy! Would you like to come play with me?" She smiled sweetly at him and he caved. They both headed upstairs leaving Jen and Gibbs to talk.

"I can't say I expected this Jen, not any of it."

"I know. She has been staying with some relatives in West Virginia. I saw her every other weekend and on holidays. I knew I couldn't be a single parent and the Director of NCIS." He nodded; she hated admitting she needed help with anything.

"How old is she?"

"Nine. She starts fourth grade on Monday." He smiled; he knew the feeling.

"Father in the picture at all?" She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. How could he be so dense, or maybe he just didn't want to get his hopes up, either way she had to tell him now. She couldn't let their moment die again.

"Well he is now. He just doesn't know it." She smiled amusedly. She was just daring him to ask the question he was dying to.

"Who is he, Jen?" There was concern and kindness in his voice, the kind that was only there when it was just them.

"You, Jethro," she whispered. He could barely hear her but her meaning was evident. He had a daughter. Paris all those years ago. Surprisingly he wasn't angry.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He was a little irritated and hurt, but not angry.

"I left, I found out a week later. I was too proud to go back. I wouldn't risk the heartbreak. I didn't want to need you or your help." He should have figured as much. That was just the way Jen was, independent. He nodded.

"Does she know?" Jen shook her head. "Do you want her to know?"

"Do you?"

"Ya think, Jen. I would like my own daughter to know who I am after nine years!" Right then Sarah was leading Tim down the stairs. Her expression went from excitement to confusion.

"Come here sweetheart. We need to talk about something very important." Sarah nodded and walked over sitting on the couch in between them. Tim excused himself to 'talk to the landlord'. "Sarah, I know you have been asking where your daddy is and who he is and what he looks like and if you look anything like him and Jethro is here to answer all your questions." She smiled up at him. The ball was in his court now. Sarah looked up at him, too, and he began answering the questions Jen had listed.

"Well Sarah, for starters your daddy is here now. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Not for a little while at least." He smiled and so did she when she realized that he was her dad. "And you can see what I look like and I think you look just like your mom, beautiful. But you have my eyes. And I'm sorry I wasn't here before." She just kept smiling and jumped into his arms to hug him. She felt like everything would be alright. The one thing she wished for every year on her birthday and on every shooting star had finally come true. Her dad had found her and he loved her.

Jethro motioned for Jen to join their hug. This was their moment, they would never get it back so they might as well enjoy it.

"Jethro, do you and Tim have a place to stay tonight?" He shook his head. "Good, you can stay here and we can help you buy things for Tony and Ziva in the morning." Tim knocked on the door and came back in holding two keys for the front unit. "Oh good Tim, you and Jethro are going to stay here tonight so you can furnish Tony and Ziva's house in the morning." Tim nodded and sat in the armchair. Jen went to get dinner started while Sarah chatted away to Jethro.

"So Sarah tell me about your friends." She looked so excited.

"Really? You want to hear about them?"

"Yup, I want to hear everything." They sat there for a while. Sarah chattered away about her friends in West Virginia and about her new school and her relatives who took care of her and how her mom had come to take her to the zoo and played in the snow on Christmas. By the time dinner was ready he had gotten his daughter's life story and a look into a different side of Jen, the one that peeked out every now and then before quickly hiding back inside her shell.

They ate and talked a little about the area, and they explained to Sarah that they needed to keep Tony and Ziva safe just like her mom. They made sure she knew that if anyone asked they were Tommy and Lisa. Sarah was excited to be part of an important mission. Gibbs had given her a codename. She was Pink Pony, Tim had laughed, it was better than Palmer's Black Lung. After dinner Tim and Gibbs had brought their bags in. Jen had directed Tim to the guest room. She didn't really need it, no one would visit her, but it was her way of keeping normalcy for herself and Sarah. She could hope that sometime someone would come by and need it. She never really expected it to be so soon and she never expected it to be Jethro but he was there nonetheless.

A late August storm had blown in that afternoon and it was threatening to rain. They had closed up the house and sent Sarah off to bed. Tim went to his room to call Abby and tell her that they were ok, they had found a house and the interesting new development with Jen. Jethro and Jen sat on the couch for a moment.

"She's really taken to you. She isn't like that with everyone." He smiled, it was an honest true smile. It reached all the way to his blue eyes making them sparkle the same way his daughter's had. It was the first real smile he had smiled since Jen had 'died'. Tony and Ziva were safe for the moment and coming home, Jen was alive and well, and he had a beautiful nine year old daughter. Jen decided to head up to bed. He grabbed her arm and lightly pulled her toward him over the back of the couch. He reached up and kissed her cheek.

"Good night Jen. Sleep tight." She smiled and walked up the stairs. Gibbs pulled out the convertible sofa and went to change into sweats and a t-shirt. He walked back into the living room and settled onto the bed. He slept for a little while until something pulled on his sleeve. He opened his eyes and saw that it was nearly midnight. He also noticed that the storm had started in full force. It was pouring and thunder shook the house every few minutes. He rolled over to see that Sarah had been tugging on his shirt with one hand while holding a teddy bear in the other hand. She was scared. She obviously didn't like thunder storms. He picked her up and put her in the bed next to him. She curled up knowing she was safe and fell right asleep. He lay there for a few minutes watching her sleep. Then he put his head back down and fell asleep. He awoke to Jen's frantic footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Jethro! Is Sarah down here with you?!" He sat up and pressed a finger to his lips. She quieted and looked down at the bed. There was Sarah curled up in the blankets, still sound asleep.

"She got scared last night. She came down here and woke me up. I put her in the bed and she went right to sleep." He smiled. Jen knew that most people saw the gruff boss on the outside but he really was great with kids. He got out of bed trying not to disturb the little girl. "So Jen, what are we going to do about this?"

"I don't know Jethro. It's not like I can just go back. There is still someone after us, and try as you might you can't protect us forever." He nodded.

"But I can get rid of the threat. I'll figure it out. When I do I am coming up here to personally bring my _family_ home. Not just Sarah and you, Tony and Ziva too. They're family." Jen smiled. She liked the idea of going home and being safe, and having Jethro helping her with Sarah so she wouldn't have to take her back to West Virginia.

"How about you get Sarah and Tim up and I'll make breakfast. Then we can go shopping." He agreed and walked back around the couch to get Sarah. Jen smiled as he leaned down and whispered in her ear before kissing her forehead and tickling her sides. She giggled and jumped up and down on the bed.

"Ok, Sarah can you go wake up Tim while I make the bed?" She nodded and dashed to the guest room. The sound of banging drifted down the hall. Then they could hear Sarah calling for him to wake up. The next thing they heard was a thump and a 'Coming!' from Tim. Jethro had turned his bed back into a couch by then and was off to take a shower before breakfast. He was done in less than ten minutes and Tim took the bathroom downstairs. After they were done and sitting at the table Sarah ran down the stairs dressed and ready to go.

"Dig in." Jen said as she set the last plate on the table. She had made eggs, bacon and Mickey Mouse pancakes. There was quiet for a while as everyone ate their fill. Jen set down her fork and looked up at Jethro. "There is a nice furniture place up the road. It has fair prices, pretty low for here actually. It's hard to get inexpensive, franchised, or mass produced stuff around here. So it's mostly mom-n-pop stores." He nodded.

"Tim's paying, not me. He's the best-selling author." He looked over at Tim and grinned. He could understand why Tony often picked on him; it was fun in its own way. It was the same reason he picked on Tony. They all got up and headed out to the cars. They eventually decided to take Tim and Jethro's rental and have whatever they bought delivered.

Jen directed them to the store she had mentioned at breakfast, they parked and went in. There was everything they would need. The group walked around for an hour or two picking out things as they went. The little sales clerk that followed them around looked like a total geek. He was slightly balding with wire rimmed glasses; he wore a dress shirt with a pale grey plaid squares tucked into a pair of grey pleated pants with an old worn out pair of shoes. He scribbled their choices on his clipboard. They had chosen a nice computer desk, a king sized bed and mattress, a queen bed for the guest room, some bedside tables, a coffee table, a blue couch and loveseat, a flat panel LCD TV, a shelving unit for Tony's movies and some various other pieces of furniture. Tim pays and they schedule to have it delivered that evening.

They get back in the car and Jen directs them to a large clothing store. She and Sarah head to the women's section to buy Ziva some clothes while Tim and Gibbs head to the men's section to make sure Tony would have clothes, too. Sarah and Jen picked out sweaters and shirts mostly in blues, greens, browns and purples, but they managed to cover the whole spectrum, except for pink and other frilly colors. They also bought her jeans, sweatpants, pajamas, and running clothes before going over to shoes. They figured Ziva would be coming with no more than one suitcase, if anything.

Tim and Gibbs bought Tony a little bit of everything. They weren't sure they could get much of his stuff out of storage but they could manage to get some of his clothes out. They had both helped him pack it. His movie collection was the last thing to go in. His clothes were near the back, though. They planned on sending Abby into the storage unit to get any of the things near the back he would need. So they bought Tony a lot less than Ziva. Tony still had a lot of his clothes at Tim and Abby's apartment, where he had left it when he went to get Ziva.

They met up in the shoe department. They walked over to housewares and grabbed a few packs of hangers. From there the four of them, with their two baskets, made their way up to the check out. It took a long time for the cashier to ring up everything. Tim paid and they left with two baskets full of bags.

They drove back to the house and began setting up. They hung all the clothes in the closet and arranged the shoes on the closet floor. Not long after the furniture delivery came and set up all their purchase in the places indicated by Jen and Gibbs. The house looked move in ready. Now all they had to do was wait. The next day was Sunday and Tim and Gibbs had to leave for the Manchester airport.

Sarah was so sad to see the father she had just met leave. He knelt down on the floor in front of her. The sadness in her eyes nearly broke his heart. It was that look that almost made him stay.

"Sarah, sweetheart, I have to leave so I can make sure Uncle Tony and Auntie Ziva get here safe. Then next weekend I'm going to come back up here to visit, and before you know it I'll have everything put back together and you and your mom can come back to Washington and live there with me. Then you'll get to see me everyday. Ok?" She smiled a little and nodded. "Ok then. I promise; I will fix everything. You have a good first day of school tomorrow." He kissed her forehead and she reached over and kissed him on the cheek. He stood up and kissed Jen on the cheek. Then he turned on his heel and left.

"Mom? He'll come back and fix things right?"

"He's never let me down before. He never breaks a promise." Sarah smiled in excitement knowing that her dad would come back and they would all get to live together one day very soon.

**Note: So there it is. I was laughing at myself while I was writing this because if you wear a sweater or even long pants in late August where I live you will like die of heat stroke. I drove through Vermont last summer though and I was really cold when I got out of the car, and that's the whole reason I picked Vermont. I know it's isolated, but it's sooooo pretty there!**

**Well this ended up being kinda long but oh well. And I decided that Tim should pay for everything because he has more money than the rest of the team and he still has his income from NCIS so he can give up some of his money from a book he wrote about his friends to help them out..**


	7. The Escape

**Note: This picks up the morning after chapter 5. So it would be Saturday morning in Tel Aviv and it goes through Tony and Ziva's flight.**

_**Chapter 7: The Escape**_

Saturday morning Ziva was teaching Tony how to use an attacker's body weight and force against them. He was nowhere near as good as her but it was a lot better than nothing. They were mostly wasting time. It was a boring day for them. They emailed Abby once just to see how things were going. Her message was coded to explain the plan to them.

_Dear Tommy and Lisa,_

_Tibbs and McGregor are busy this weekend but not to worry. We have been taking care of your house for you. We are all glad to have you coming home._

_We took good care of the Mustang and will bring it to pick you up when you arrive. Don't worry about anything, we have it all taken care of here._

_Can't wait to see you._

_Love,_

_Amy_

"House? They got us a house?" Tony was stunned. "And they're bringing me my car?" He was happy, very happy.

"Apparently, Tony. I am a little nervous about the house though. Where is it and how do we know it is safe?"

"They'll have instructions in the car I'm sure. Don't worry Ziva. Let's just order room service and watch a movie. We can worry about it later. We have the tickets and then we just need the passports and then we can go home." He flashed his most charming 'Dinozzo smile' and she caved. That smile always made her smile.

They did just what Tony suggested. They had dinner in their room and watched The Bourne Supremacy. They showered and changed. It was a boring day. Nothing much happened. They had turned on CNN for a few minutes and promptly switched it off when they learned that Tony's name had been released and he was positively listed as armed and extremely dangerous.

"This is all Vance's doing! He's trying to get me killed or arrested! I swear I could kill him!" Tony had yelled at the TV earlier that day. But now he was relaxing. Ziva had reminded him that they would have fake passports and he would be fine. She came out of the bathroom and he had turned off all but his bedside light. She got into the king-sized bed and snuggled down in the covers. He kissed her on the cheek and whispered "Buona Notte."

She smiled and replied, "Laila Tov."

They drifted off and awoke the next morning to the bright sun streaming through the window. They decided that they should formulate their cover story in detail in case their neighbors asked.

"We were on a long trip to visit your family and friends here." Tony stated, proud of his idea.

"Hmm, no. We were visiting them in Jerusalem. It is better if we change the location slightly. Only people who would be looking for us will notice the difference between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. But other than that it is a good idea Tony. What about the house? Gibbs and Tim scooped it out for us, what would we tell people about that?" Ziva countered.

"Scoped, Ziva. They scoped it out, and we will simply tell them that my Uncle and brother were looking for a nice place for us. We had planned on being gone so long we didn't see the point in keeping our apartment if no one was living there." She nodded.

"But you and Tim have different last names."

"Fine, he's my half-brother then." They both agreed to this. "I wonder if Gibbs will get any of my stuff out of storage. He has the only key. They're going to get my Mustang so maybe they'll bring the movies and some clothes or something." She smiled, _'He cares so much about his car and his movies! Well at least it is not boring.'_ They finished working out the finer details of their story and then decided to watch a movie before they had to get their passports at 1900 hours. This time they watched The Bourne Ultimatum. They had finished watching the Bourne trilogy and Tony was happy. He had read the books so many times that he was just dying to see the movies.

It was almost 1800 hours. They got dressed and ready to leave. Ziva made her way quickly to her car for the first time in two days. She checked the entire car for a GPS device or explosive in a more rigorous check than she had at the café. She said it was because it had been sitting longer than it had before and there was more time to carefully place it. When she had confirmed that there was little chance of a device on her car she unlocked the doors and she and Tony got in. Ziva drove very inconspicuously. Tony was impressed. Once they were sure no one was tailing them they pulled up to the café and went in. They were only a minute or two early.

They looked around and then they heard a book land on a small table. They waited and walked over to it. Ziva opened it carefully. She saw a glimpse of the passports and left another book in its place. There was some money stashed in it the same way the passports were in the other book. They took the one they needed and headed back to the car Ziva performed her quick check and they headed back to the hotel. Tony was comparing his passport with Tommy DiNardo's and he was seriously impressed.

"Ziva! This is amazing! I can't even tell the difference!"

"It is better than that Tony. The computer will not be able to tell the difference. My contact hacked in and made those identities exist for us. Do not worry we will make it to America without any problems Tony. Now we should hit the sack so we will be ready for tomorrow. The flight will be long. I am sure you remember."

"Hay, Ziva. It's hit the hay. But you're right, we should. And, yes, I remember; it was the longest flight of my life." They showered and went to bed but neither of them fell asleep.

"Tony," Ziva whispered. "I am a little scared still. I am scared someone will stop me or recognize me. But I am also excited to go home and see everyone. Even if we have to hide."

"I know; I am too. I can't wait to see Gibbs, and I really can't wait to feel like we're safe again. I know you're still scared and I'm still scared too, but Gibbs will keep us safe once we get home so we'll be fine. I find that comforting." He put his arms around her and drew her close to his chest lovingly. "Sleep. Soon we'll be safe at home." They drifted off quickly and slept soundly.

Their wake up call came at 0600 the next morning. Tony and Ziva each began to pack. They had been cooped up in the hotel room for the better part of three days and had gotten very bored. There were clothes and books lying haphazardly around the room. They always placed the 'Do Not Disturb' placard on the door because they were both paranoid, so housekeeping hadn't been there. They only called up for fresh towels and soaps each day and even then they were on their toes.

They got to the airport as quickly as they could. Ziva had done a thorough check of her car again and they drove to the airport. She left the car unlocked with the keys sitting on the seat in the long term parking. Tony and Ziva grabbed their luggage, passports and tickets and headed to the check in desk. It took them a little while to get into the gate and to get situated. Flight 811 to Rome was boarding at 1540. In Rome they had to change planes and take flight 316 to Paris where they would board another plane and take flight 3566 to Dulles International Airport where Gibbs, Abby and Tim would be waiting with Tony's Mustang and directions to their safe house.

The 34 hour flights passed in various states of waking and sleeping. When they finally landed at Dulles it was Tuesday evening at nearly 1900 hours. They collected their carry on luggage and made their way through the terminal to the baggage claim. They looked around and then they saw them. Gibbs was standing there looking happy and relieved and Abby was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet holding onto Tim's hand tightly looking left and right for any sign of them. Abby finally saw them. She could barely contain her excitement but she managed to stay quiet and not draw attention to them in the busy airport.

They exchanged their hugs and 'welcome backs' before allowing Tony and Ziva to collect their luggage. After walking outside they stood around for a few minutes just happy to be there with each other before Gibbs leaned over and head slapped Tony.

"Thank you Boss!" He remarked with a smile.

"That was for taking off without any back up." Then he clapped the young man on the shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "And that is for saving your partner." They all laughed and hugged one another again. Gibbs turned to Tony and whispered instructions in his ear. "Here are the keys to your car. It's in the short term parking lot. There is money and directions to your house in the glove box. Call me when you get there. It should take about six and a half hours. Take turns driving. The keys to the house are in the glove box, too. Your neighbor will be helpful. Your movies and some of your clothes are in the trunk and we made sure to furnish your house and buy things for you and Ziva."

Tony absorbed all this new information. He was nervous and excited. He didn't know how long this whole thing would take but he was going to enjoy it while it lasted. They started to walk toward the parking lot but were stopped when Gibbs called after them.

"And Tony, I already know you're breaking rule #12!" Tony grinned. "Take care of her!" He nodded and put his arm around Ziva as they walked off toward the car.


End file.
